The Midwest might conjure visions of dairy, beef, and wheat stalks, but one of its best restaurants is all about ditching those products and instead, using things indigenous to North America. Think dishes like tender bison tacos and spreadable squash custard during a nice Sunday night dinner. The corn taco is a perfect example of Owamni’s vision: it’s a delicious balance of sweet and savory thanks to the Minnesotan sweetcorn, with some popcorn thrown in for extra texture.

With wicker chairs, an abundance of natural light, and a covered patio lined with potted palms, a meal at Khaluna feels like you’ve stepped off Lyndale Ave. into a minimalist island retreat for the kind of people who are somehow always traveling. The decor’s light color palette is just as colorful as most of the dishes, like the tropical fruit salad and multi-hued rainbow rice. Be sure to try the sakoo, pillowy, mushroom-stuffed dumplings made from tapioca pearls, and the bucatini talay.

Spoon and Stable is great for romantic dinners because of the soft lighting, floor-to-ceiling glass wine cellar, and giant cones of cotton candy. The seasonal menu includes housemade pastas and entrees like dry-aged duck breasts, and the desserts are all really good, too. You'll find elegantly-plated riffs on the classics, like a chocolate budino served with sourdough shortbread cookies and smooth crème fraîche.

The extraordinary heirloom masa is the backbone of Oro’s menu, with ground corn kernels doing the heavy work in everything from chips and tacos to tamales and pastries. Order the carnitas taco for perfectly crisped bits of pork paired with a creamy avocado salsa. Anything with mole is also a must, especially the duck enmoladas that get a slight bittersweet taste from dark chocolate in the sauce.

Dinner at Alma reminds us of a fancy Thanksgiving supper without any family drama. The prix-fixe meals go hard on using local produce and start with a spread of antipasti and light bites like chickpea griddle cakes, prawns, and pear-topped endive salads. Then, you’ll get family-style mains such as gnocchi with lobster and duck flavored with smoky poblano peppers and fresh paprika. The wine pairings are worth it, but you also can’t go wrong with the refreshing, aquavit-based dill martini.

Hai Hai is a leafy respite from the snow during winter and the perfect place to sit on the patio for a casual lunch when it’s warmer. There are bright blue chairs, teal walls, and what feels like a constant stream of friends having lively, dramatic catch-up sessions. Start with an order of salt and pepper fried tofu and then try the Hanoi sticky rice topped with glistening bits of ground pork and chinese sausage.

Tenant only has 20 seats and a minimal, whitewashed interior, but your focus and attention should be on the food anyway. The ever-changing, six-course tasting menu takes a homey dish like cheese-stuffed pasta and elevates it with a filling of funky, locally-crafted Camembert-style cheese. Since chefs double as servers, the ingredients and preparation of each menu item are explained with the same level of detail as a hardcore comic fan describing the latest Marvel movie.

Instead of hitting up Young Joni’s main dining room, look for the red light in the alley, settle into the sofa, and order one of their creative-but-still-fantastic pizzas. Their options include the Perfect Pickle Pie, a so-weird-it’s-good version of the Minnesota State Fair specialty, and the flavor-packed Umami Mama topped with three kinds of mushrooms, cheese, and a dash of soy and sesame. A reel-to-reel tape deck behind the bar makes this speakeasy feel a bit like a 1970s basement.

This is where to eat a quick bite of excellent Hmong cuisine like salted pork belly and Kua Txob pepper sauce at a counter inside the Graze Provisions & Libations food hall. The build-your-own meals include a choice of protein and a side—get the well-spiced sausage and the chilled khao sen rice noodles—plus purple sticky rice and pickled vegetables. Smaller groups should split the whole fish grilled in banana leaves, but know there’s also The Mini Feast option where you can try the entire menu.

The juicy lucy is a beloved Minneapolis specialty, and a heated local controversy: both Matt’s Bar and the 5-8 Club each claim to have invented the cheese-stuffed burger. Although the real answer may be lost to history, Matt’s Bar gets our vote for the nostalgia: they’re still serving them decades later in a narrow, memorabilia-lined space that hasn’t changed all that much since the restaurant opened in the 1950s.

Dario’s pastel pink chairs and green cushion booths are so aesthetically pleasing you might worry it's one of those spots where the food doesn’t live up. But it absolutely does—they take pasta seriously, even if your casual date night is all giggles while splitting small plates. Our heart belongs to the doppio ravioli, filled with separate pockets of sunchoke and ricotta before being drizzled with honey. The cocktail menu leans into bitter spirits, but drinks are still balanced.

Parlour has one of the best burgers in town, made up of two perfectly charred smashed patties formed from ground sirloin, ribeye, and brisket. It goes great paired with their signature Old Fashioned (there’s even a decent non-alcoholic version), which amps up the meat’s smokiness. If you’re just snacking, order the popcorn seasoned with bacon, togarashi, and pineapple, plus the tiki-inspired Chill Pill cocktail that tastes like an alcoholic creamsicle.

Kick back, sip on a shochu highball, and snack on some karaage with housemade gochu sauce at Zen Box Izakaya. Although it’s within walking distance of downtown’s sports and music venues, dinner here feels like you’re settling in at your favorite neighborhood diner, especially since there’s usually a seat or two at the bar for walk-ins. Order the tonkotsu ramen so you can slurp down the umami broth and pieces of tender pork. Then wrap things up with the spongy green tea tiramisu.

A morning at Martina is the breath of fresh air you’ll want after the longest week ever at work. While waiting for your order of the crispy potato churros, take a deep breath in the restaurant’s relaxing, simple space with its pop of palm trees—the minimalist feel is a nice break from the kaleidoscope that was your Google Calendar the past couple of days. Then, you can move on to steak and eggs with chimichurri, a breakfasty green carbonara, or the almond flour pancakes.

Pimento Jamaican Kitchen’s atmosphere is always sort of buzzing, which is what you’d expect from a place that has an adjacent bar chock-full of Jamaican rums and dancehall music on Friday nights. Their counter-service menu lets you build a meal, but the move is the braised oxtail with the Kingston Kick sauce if you just need to feel something during the Minneapolis winter. Or, you can settle for the MN Nice sauce if you’re wanting a medium-heat level hot condiment.

Manny’s Steakhouse has white tablecloths and a cart rolling hunks of meat around the dining room, where Fortune 500 execs close big deals and couples celebrate twentieth wedding anniversaries. On paper, the $132 50-ounce bludgeon of beef (this is the literal name of the cut) sounds like a lot of money to spend on just one piece of meat, but it’s nicely tender, big enough to share, and gets carved tableside. The $65 filet-cut baseball steak is another good option.

There are a lot of bungalows all over Minneapolis, and this Longfellow spot looks like an HGTV-ified version with built-in bookcases and a patterned blue wallpaper that could’ve been ripped out of a fable anthology. TBC’s three-course, prix-fixe menu changes frequently, but always includes pasta like beet-and-gorgonzola-stuffed tortellini along with hearty meat, seafood, and vegetarian dishes such as flank steak alongside rice porridge. Stop by on Wednesday for a more casual burger-centric menu.

For a speedy and satisfying lunch, stop by this local mini-chain for rice bowls, sandwiches, and gyros. Their Cedar-Riverside spot might feel like a fast food joint with brightly painted walls and quick service, but the McChicken has nothing on the tender yassa chicken marinated overnight in a secret spice blend. That’s always good to order, along with the Somali sweet spiced tea and their vegetable-filled samosa punched up thanks to some homemade chutney hot sauce.

Al’s is a true old-school Minneapolis gem. This 14-seat diner has been open since 1950 and is beloved by generations of students from the nearby University of Minnesota. We’ve been told it’s the narrowest restaurant in the city—although we haven't visited with our rulers yet—and some regulars even still buy meals with prepaid tabs, tracked via the stacks of yellow booklets behind the counter.

The line at Marty’s will probably be out the door, but don’t let that discourage you: service is efficient and the enormous sandwiches really are that good. It’s the typical options of cold cuts and delicious add-ons like whipped feta, but the real magic comes from the fresh focaccia that has just the right sprinkle of rosemary and sea salt. In the morning, opt for the garlic aioli-spiked egg and cheese breakfast sandwich.

Vines dangling from the ceiling and a colorful mural of Nina Simone and Erykah Badu to your left. No, you’re not chilling at your stylish friend’s North Loop loft, you’re eating brunch at Stepchld. Their menu has dishes that pull flavors from a variety of countries, like birria tacos seasoned with an Ethiopian berbere spice blend, and pork belly and ginger coconut rice upgraded with kimchi and gochujang aioli.

With two locations and nearly 200 flavors, Sebastian Joe’s has become a Minneapolis dessert icon. Get one of the signature scoops that are always, like raspberry chocolate chip, Pavorotti (vanilla ice cream with caramel, bananas, and chocolate chips), or Nicollet Avenue Pothole (chocolate ice cream loaded with caramel, Heath chunks, fudge, and sea salt). The homemade waffle cones dipped in chocolate and sprinkles are a genius way to enjoy both confections.

Head to this dessert-focused cafe after dinner in the North Loop. The unique treats are worth the long line, even if you have to squeeze into a space at the bar. Some favorites include the rhubarb and custard ice cream pie, Rocher mousse with hazelnut chocolate cake, and the plant-based chocolate sorbet sundae. Get a brookie to enjoy later, and pair your treats with a glass of bubbly or the Carajillo cocktail made with Spanish liqueur and espresso for a post-dinner caffeine bump.

Don’t go to Bebe Zito and expect to order just a scoop of vanilla and be done with it. This wacky ice cream shop uses ingredients like caramelized Fruity Pebbles and gochujang-flavored brownie pieces, serving them all with color-changing spoons. Some options are inspired by the owner’s Brazilian heritage, like Romeu e Julieta, a cream cheese custard swirled with guava. Others reference nostalgic memories, such as the cereal-heavy Breakfast Club.